Tessa Bailey, author of some of our favorite Contemporary Romance novels, is here with some amazing answers to our little Q&A! (Seriously, it’s like we’re in the room nerding out over movies with her). Check out our interview below and don’t miss her latest book, Worked Up, out now!

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FAVORITE MOVIES:

What are your five favorite movies with romance or romantic elements?

Safety Not Guaranteed

The Princess Bride

Say Anything

Jerry Maguire

Silver Lining’s Playbook

 

Describe your favorite scene from each one (you can include a Youtube clip if you want as well).

The ending of Safety Not Guaranteed is the most magical, original thing ever and I won’t ruin in. Suffice it to say, I cried and cheered in my living room. The scene in Jerry Maguire where Tom Cruise says, “You complete me,” has been parodied so many times, it has lost its magic. But if you go back with a fresh perspective and watch that scene again, I guarantee you will sob. It’s one of the best grovels on film—ever. EVER. Oh God, the scene between Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in Silver Lining’s Playbook after the dance contest—honest and beautiful. I can’t even type about it without tearing up.

 

Did you have any of these scenes in mind when writing scenes from your latest release?

No, I wouldn’t say I ever have a movie’s ending in mind, but the theme of hero (or heroine) winning back the love of their life with a well-worded speech is definitely there!

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FIVE BOOKS

If you could only read five books for the rest of your life, what five books would they be, and why?

Any five books from Julie Garwood, Charlotte Stein, Kresley Cole or Mariana Zapata. All four of those authors have a style I get lost in and I trust them to give me an extremely satisfying happily ever after.

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BOOK BOYFRIENDS

Who are your book boyfriends? (list a maximum of five) What do you like about them? What characteristics do they share with the hero from your latest release?

My latest book boyfriend is Aidan “The Wall of Winnipeg” Graves from The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata. I love stoic, grumpy heroes and this guy was the ultimate. At the same time, though, you could tell he was always weighing the heroine’s words and responding in his head. Aidan’s tendency to be grumpy and not want a relationship is very much like Duke Crawford in Worked Up! They both want to be left alone until the heroine actually says sayonara.

 

Everyone has a favorite couple (an “OTP” in ‘shipping terms) in romance, whether in a romance book, movie, or television series. Who is your favorite couple, and why?

Jericho Barrons and MacKayla Lane from the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning! Not only do they fight evil, but they have the kind of love that doesn’t require words. They can communicate with a look and that’s a hard thing for a writer to make authentic.

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FIRST ROMANCE (AKA My First Time):

What was the first romance novel you read?

Hidden Fires by Sandra Brown.

 

What do you remember about it?

Every damn word. I think I read it seventeen times before moving on to another book!

 

What did you like most about it?

The hero completely screws up and by the time he realizes it, the heroine is in grave danger. Oh god, the swoons. They are aplenty.

 

What did you like least about it?

Zero things!

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SNAPPY CHAT

Darcy or Wentworth?

Darcy

 

Christian or Gideon?

Gideon

 

Rochester or Heathcliff?

Heathcliff

 

Spock or Kirk?

Kirk

 

Sunrise or sunset?

Sunset

 

Angst or humor?

Humor

 

Tea or coffee?

Coffee

 

Wine or beer?

Both

 

Cake or pie?

Pie

 

Scruff, beard, or clean-shaven?

Different styles for different moods!

 

Blue-collar or white collar?

Blue collar

 

Jeans or a suit?

Jeans

 

Car or motorcycle?

Motorcycle

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Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans and laptop, driving cross-country to New York City in under four days.

Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention.

She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband of nine years and four-year-old daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

Tessa can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and TessaBailey.com.